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Post by hayz on Feb 8, 2005 19:05:19 GMT
Please could somebody help me! I recently purchased two young, male degus but since placing them into there cage they have not stopped trying to hump each other. Is this normal?
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Feb 8, 2005 19:20:26 GMT
Hi Hayz
Welcome to the board, and congratulations on joining the degu world! Regarding the "humping" I think I speak for all owners when I say that we have all experienced our degus doing this behaviour. Nobody seems totally sure why it is, but it seems to be related to dominance and establishing who is in charge. It isnt really a cause for concern, unless you have small children around! I usually say they are just having piggy back rides, and one lady told me she said they were just play wrestling!!!
Good luck with your degus
SUNSHINEMEG ;D
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Post by hayz on Feb 9, 2005 13:45:36 GMT
Thank you very much fot your help, good to know it is nothin to worry about!
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Post by Aimeelou on Feb 9, 2005 17:02:45 GMT
Hi Hayz Ive got two little boys too! And yes ther going at it all day. Ive found out its some sort of dominence thing. Its like "i can have you if i want to"job! Either that or their gay!! Dont worry mine have been doin it since christmas when i got them but there starting to calm down a bit now! good luck
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Feb 15, 2005 12:57:56 GMT
Hi Aimeelou Glad to hear your degus are learning some decency!!! From my experience, the degus will do this humping until they have established a dominance system in the cage, then it will be reduced to when they need to remind each other who is in charge.
I also think however that there is an element of all boys together, getting a bit carried away!!!
SUNSHINEMEG ;D
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Post by prithivi on Feb 24, 2005 5:05:49 GMT
I have a similar problem. I have three degus, have had them for about a month; we were told they were all males. However, today they've been squeaking almost non-stop, so I watched them for a while and noticed that one keeps mounting another one. The third one doesn't like this, so he chases the "male" away, and then squeaks for 5 minutes all sad-like. Also, the "female" is arching its back, and lifting its rear up. Also, do males mounting for dominance establishment have their hoohah extended? They're about 8 months old, and I think I read the females reach sexual maturity around 9 months.
I'm not sure what to do. I know they mate for life, and they can kill over a mate, but I don't want to separate them and pee them off. Any ideas on their interesting behavior?
Thanks ~prithivi (well, if they're going to change the word to thingy, i figure hoohah is funnier... even though I see nothing wrong with noncolloquial terminology...)
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Feb 24, 2005 14:23:45 GMT
I like the word hoohah! It makes it fun!
regarding your question, I have 4 males, and yes they do this behaviour for dominance. everyone then gets far too excited, fights can start and then everyone has to run off and play with their hoohah! or at least thats what happens in my cage!
I wouldnt worry too much, its unlikely that you have a female because they would have been fighting continually from when you got them!
But at this age they are starting to test the boundaries, and work out who is boss!
Just keep an eye for serious injury as you want to avoid all that!
Good luck
SUNSHINEMEG ;D
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Post by sensuosa on Mar 4, 2005 21:04:29 GMT
They do hump..a lot !!
we have a pair ..I'm still unsure of their sex..I thought since one of them humps the other one a lot..I thought they were boys (we were assured they were of both sexes).
The other degu who we fondly refer to as "2x4 (twobyfour) because it's sooo fat, we still can't figure out if she's pregnant or not.
Their characteristics are very similar to humans. Our neurotic one we call David...David always chases 2x4 and 2x4 always snaps at David as it tries to hump ..I wish I could sex them up...I was so sure they were both females.
Sandy (I just peaked at their privates again. 2X4 has her weewee and peepee basically touching each other. David has space between his weewee and peepee...we're having babies !!! I just know it
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Mar 7, 2005 9:33:26 GMT
just one word
GOODLUCK!!!
SUNSHINEMEG ;D
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Post by sensuosa on Mar 10, 2005 13:59:44 GMT
Oh ,, we were told we adopted 2 same sex. We found it pretty interesting that one would hump the other quite frequently. I checked their privates to try to sex them up. They both looked the same sex. One started getting fatter and then it was obvious. One is a girl, one is a boy.
Today I am the proud grand mamma of 7 healthy babies.
So..are you sure you have 2 males? I think I'll rename our male degu Sir Humpz-alot
Sandy
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Post by prithivi on Mar 17, 2005 2:40:31 GMT
well, we just sexed them and it turns out that indeed we do have two males and a female.... sigh. so if the one on the "bottom" is arching the back and lifting the tail, acting like you would think a female would, then most likely, it's a female. but the two males, when mounting, don't do that.
the males' urethral thingy and anus are far apart, and the female's are closer together and she has the extra hole (my husband laughs).
thanks, prithivi
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Mar 22, 2005 12:09:18 GMT
Be careful prithivi, if you have more than one male, they could end up fighting over the female, and you really dont want that!
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Post by kellynax on Mar 22, 2005 12:36:45 GMT
Goodness!! All sounds very hectic!! Boys, who'd have them eh?!! Glad Widget & Fidget (No2) are definately female! Nightmare!
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Mar 22, 2005 13:47:15 GMT
I have never kept female degus, but if they are less of a handful than males, I could be tempted! no, thats not fair, I love my boys!!! most of the time!! SUNSHINEMEG
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Post by prithivi on Mar 25, 2005 16:57:02 GMT
We're hoping they won't get to the point where there is bloodshed. It's obvious which degus are a "couple." I sorta feel sorry for Liam (the third wheel), sometimes he'll be off in a corner while Keiran and Bruno (female and male) are cuddled together. I personally think if they were going to fight over it, we would've already lost one, but it's pretty obvious which male is dominant (and bigger). What's really funny is my female is the most curious and bold, and she's the overall dominant one in the group. It's really funny how she'll sit on the food and swing her butt around to keep the others away!!
But if they ever come to the point where we see them fighting, we will have to separate them, and either find another cage mate for the other male, too, or get them fixed.
~prithivi
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Mar 25, 2005 17:34:41 GMT
Good luck Prithivi.
If you decide you cant keep them together, maybe someone on this site can help!!!
SUNSHINEMEG ;D
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rusty
Newborn Degu
**my degu**
Posts: 19
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Post by rusty on Oct 29, 2005 20:39:44 GMT
i looked up a website about the same thing and it is normal for them to do so to decide who is the boss degu and who will eat first and things like that. thanks
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